Fastener for crates, boxes, &amp;c.



G. C. D. MILLER.

FASTENER FOR CRATES, BOXES, &c.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.25.19\2.

Patented Sept. 21, 1915.

INVENTOR 62:07:96 67 Jflfz'ller TYNTED TAE GEORGE C. I). MILLER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR T0 CARY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FASTENER FOR CRATES, BOXES, 8w.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 21, 1915.

Application filed January 25, 1912. Serial No. 673,300.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORG C. D. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn,

county of Kings, and State of New York,

and a latch cooperating with the keeper and hasp to lock the latter in place.

Devices of the character described are intended for use, mainly, on berry and similar crates, and they should possess certain important characteristics, such as simplicity in construction, economy in cost of production, and security in holding the crate locked. These crates are naturally subjected to rough and careless handling, and the locking devicesheretofore used would not always hold the covers in place, thereby resulting in a spilling of the contents of the crate.

The present invention embodies the advantages specified and is free from the disadvantages inherent in the devices of the prior art.

Other feature of the invention and advantages thereof will appear in the course of the annexed description taken in connection with the drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated diiferent practical embodiments of the invention, but the constructions shown therein are to be understood as illustrative, only, and not as defining the limits of the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating my fastener in operative position upon the front and cover of a crate, box or other structure. Fig. 2 is a front view, with a part of the keeper in transverse longitudinal section, showing the latch in its operative position by full lines, the dotted lines illustrating the latch in a position to release the view illustrating another embodiment of the invention upon a crate or the like, wherer in the hasp is hinged and it is used in connection with another form of keeper. Fig. 5 is a view partly in front elevation and with the keeper in vertical section, the full and dotted lines illustrating, respectively, the operative and releasing positions of the latch. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on the line 66 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention wherein the latch is operated automatically 'upon the movement of the cover into a position to close the crate or box, said latch operating to lock the hasp in the keeper.

Referring to the construction of Fig. 1, 2 and 3, A. designates a keeper, the same be ing. composed of a single piece of metal, and comprising a base plate a and a strap a integral with the base plate. As shown, the base plate of keeper A is provided with two longitudinal slits or cuts which are parallel to each other, the metal intervening said cuts being pressed or deflected outwardly so as to produce a strap a, integral with the plate a. The strap is offset from the plane of the plate so as to leave a sufficient space for the passage of the hasp between the strap and the plate. The plate is provided with apertures through which are adapted to pass nails or other devices, for the purpose of securely fixing the keeper in a predetermined position upon the front of a crate, box or other device.

The hasp B is shown as consisting of a single piece of metal which is bent intermediate its ends so as to produce a shank b, the latter extending at an angle to the hasp. Said shank is provided with apertures adapted to receive nails or other fasteners by which the hasp is secured rigidly in posithe like, whereby the hasp is adapted to depend from the free edge of the top or cover.

The depending part of the hasp is adapted to pass through the keeper between plate a and strap 0/, and that part of the hasp which is received within the keeper is provided with a cam which is adapted to cooperate with a latch C. As shown more clearly in Fig. 2,.and by dotted lines in Fig. 1, hasp B is provided in one edge thereof with a recess 7), said recess being curved substantially concentric toithe aXis'oI" movement of latch C.

The latch C consists of a singlepiece of metal which is preferably stamped or. struck up from a piece of sheet metal' Said latch is provided with a cam member 0, the latter being positioned to fit snugly within the cam recess 6 of the hasp when it is desired to lock the cover in a closed position. As shown, an end portion of latch C is positioned in the rear of strap a on the keeper, and this part of the latch is pivoted to the keeper by a pin cl, the latter passing through the latch and the strap of the keeper, the outer end of the pin being headed or riveted in order to firmly attach the latch to the keeper and at the same time permitting the latch to have the desired pivotal movement relative to the keeper and the hasp. A part of the latch depends below the keeper so that-access may be obtained readily to the latch for the purpose of manipulating it by hand, but the depending part of the latch-is provided with means whereby said latch may betemporarily fixed-in position'in or der to preclude relative movement between the latch and the keeper so as to avoid accidental separation of the latch from the hasp when the crate'or'box is in transit. As shown, the free depending part of the latch is provided with an aperture 6 through I tween plate a and strap a, thuspositioning' whibh is adapted to be driven a nail, brad, or other means, for securing the latch fixedly in position, although this nail or brad is adapted to be easily withdrawn prelimnarily to an adjustment of the latch in order to disengage it from the hasp.

The hasp is adapted to be placed in position upon a top X of a crate or boX so that the nails or fasteners may be driven through the perforations of said hasp. The keeper is placed in position upon the front wall Z of the crate or boX, and nails or other fasteners are driven through the perforations in the plate a for the purpose of rigidly fas tening the keeper in a predetermined position relative to the hasp. When the top X of the box or crate is lowered, the latch O in the construction of Figs. 1, 2 and 3'must be.

adjusted by hand to the dotted line position of Fig. 2 in order that thehasp may pass readily through the keeper and without contact with the latch. When the cover X islowered, the. free'end of the hasp providedwith notch Z2. passes through the keeper bethe cam notch 72 within the keeper. The latch C in said form of construction is ad. juste d by turning it on pivot (i, so that the dependingpart of the latch will be in close relation to, or actual contact with, one edge of the hasp, whereas the cam lug 0 of the latch enters the cam recess Z), ofthehasp. This manual adjustment of the latch'moves it into interlocking engagement with the hasp for the purpose of retaining the hasp the security'of the-fastener, the operator, Y

ma drive a brad or nail through aperture 6 of the latch, the result of which istotemporarily and fixedly secure the latch in position, and to preclude accidental movement of the latch even should it strike an obstacle when handling the crate. The latch thus operates with great eificiencyin lock ing the hasp to the keeper, and thus the-top of the crate is precluded from flying open and spilling the contents of the crate. When it is desired to open the crate, the brad or nailshould be withdrawn from the latch,"

the latch is adjusted by hand to the dotted line position or Fig.2, and the cover raised in order to withdraw the hasp from-the keeper, these operations being easily and quickly performed. In the construction shown in Figs. AL, 5

and 6 of the "drawings I have disclosed-another form of keeper and .a hinged hasp. Hasp 7) is securedat its upper end to a loop F which loop is connected with a shank b the loop serving tohingedly attach the hasp to the shank. The shank is adapted to be fastened in the manner described tothe top of crate or box, andthehinged hasp is provided in one edge, near the free end, with the cam notch or recess 6 The keeper A consists of a fiat plate of metal which is bent at two points intermediate the ends so as to produce an offset portion, and to this ofi set part there is pivoted the upper end of a latch C having a cam lug.

0 The hinged hasp is adapted,- when the cover is closed, to be inserted into the ofi'set' part of the keeper A, after which the latch is turned on its pivot in a direction to move the cam lug into engagement with the edge of the recessed part b of the hasp. As shown, thelatch' is provided with an aperture 6 through which a nail or brad is adapted to be driven for the purpose of temporarily fixingthe latch subsequent to a manual adjustment of said latch 'intoposition for its cam'lug to cooperate with the camnotch in the hinged hasp,'thereby pre-' cluding the hasp from becoming separated from the latch.

The construction disclosed in igs. 4, 5'

and 6 embodies the salient features ofjthe invention as defined in connection with the disclosure of Figs. 1,2 and 3 although the hinged hasp may be used in lieu of the rigid hasp, and the simple form of keeper A may be used in lieu of the keeper A.

Two forms of construction, one of which is illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and the other in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, embodiesa construction of latch and hasp wherein the latch is operated by hand to move it out of the path of the hasp when closingthecrate or box, and subsequently moving the latch into locking engagement with the hasp; but in Fig. 7 of the drawings there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention wherein the latch is actuated automatically by the introduction of the hasp into the keeper, whereby the latch moves out of position as the hasp first enters the keeper, and thereafter the latch is automatically moved or thrown into locking engagement with the hasp when the latter assumes its final operative position in the keeper. Any suitable form of keeper, such as the keeper A of Figs. 1, 2 and 3, or the keeper A of Figs. 4, 5 and 6 may be used in connection with the hasp and latch of Fig. 7. As shown, the keeper A is similar to keeper A of Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Latch C of Fig. 7 is provided with cam lug 0 said latch being pivoted by pin to the keeper. In the form of hasp B or B shown in Figs. 1 to 6, the lower or entering end of the hasp is slightly curved, but the hasp B of Fig. 7 is provided with a semi-circular lower end as indicated at D. This decidedly curved lower edge of the hasp is adapted to contact with the straight upper edge 0 of latch C when the hasp enters the keeper, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 7. As the hasp moves downwardly, the latch is thrown automatically to a position where the lower part of the hasp will pass through the keeper, but as the semi-circular end D of the hasp moves pastthe edge a of the latch, said latch will drop by gravity into the vertical position shown in Fig. 7, whereby the cam lug 0 of the latch is engaged automatically with the cam edge Z2 of the hasp.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the latch of Fig. 7 will operate automatically to lock the hasp ina fixed position within the keeper when said hasp is introduced into the keeper. This automatic operation of the latch obviates the necessity for the manual adjustment of the latches shown in Figs. 1 to 6, for the reason that the weight of the latch will move its cam lug into locking engagement with the hasp, and thus time and labor is saved in the operation of the device.

The invention embodies an extremely simple construction which is capable of manufacture rapidly and economically. The parts are easily and quickly assembled or applied to a crate, boX, or other object, and the latch affords a means for quickly and positively locking the hasp so securely within the keeper that the cover cannot be come opened accidentally even when the crate or box is subjected to rough handling.

By reference to the drawings it will be noted that the latch is positioned within the keeper so as to be partly concealed from view and to be protected by said keeper. Furthermore, the haspand the latch are in the same plane when said hasp is inserted into the keeper, and thus thelatch and hasp are compactly disposed with relation to each other and to the keeper.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a hasp fastener, the combination with a keeper, of a fiat metal hasp provided in one edge thereof with a notch, and a fiat metal latch positioned in the same transverse plane with said hasp, said latch being pivoted at its upper end to the keeper so as to swing by gravity and in an edgewise direction relative to the hasp upon the insertion of the latter into the keeper, said pivoted end of the latch being provided with a cam edge eccentric to the pivot and adapted for engagement with the notch in the hasp.

2. In a hasp fastener, the combination with a keeper, of a flat metal hasp provided in one edge thereof with a notch, and a fiat metal latch positioned in the same transverse plane with said hasp, said latch being pivoted at its upper end to the keeper so as to swing by gravity and in an edgewise direction relative to the hasp upon the insertion of the latter into the keeper, said latch being provided at its pivoted end with a shoulder and with a cam edge which is eccentric to the pivot, the latch being free to swing into a position for the shoulder to lie in the path of the hasp and, upon the introduction of the hasp into the keeper, said latch will return by gravity for the cam edge thereof to interlock with the notch in the hasp.

3. In a hasp fastener, a keeper embodying a flat metal plate slitted longitudinally and bent between said slitted portion to produce a slot in the back of the plate and an offset on the front thereof, combined with a hasp insertable into the keeper between the plate and the front offset therein, and a headed latch pivoted to the offset part of the keeper, said head of the latch being opposite to the slot in the back of the plate and positioned in the transverse plane of the hasp upon the introduction of the latter into the keeper.

4. In a hasp fastener, the combination of a keeper, a hasp plate insertable into the keeper, said hasp plate being provided in one edge thereof with a notch, and a latch pivoted to the keeper, said latch depending from the pivot for the weighted part of the latch to lie below said pivot, said latch be ing provided with an edge eccentric to the pivot and provided, also, With a shoulder name to this specification inlthe presence of izvhilclh, in tlile diseingiged positiorli of the two subscribing Witnesses.

atc is in t epat 0 the hasp ate, said eccentric edge portion of the la tch being GEORGE MILLER 5 arranged to enter the notch of thehasp plate Witnesses:

for locking the latter Within the keeper. 7 H. I. BERNHARD,

In testimony whereof I have signed my J. F. MOTHERSHEAD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents- Washington, D. 0. 7 

